Making a Big Move - A Tip About Clearing Clutter

I can't believe that it has been 3 months since my last update, especially since I decided that I was going to make an effort to keep it updated!

I DO have some big news for the RstephensArt blog. I will be making a big move across the ocean for a bit. There will be quite a bit of travel involved so this blog might actually get interesting ;)

I have been selling most of our belongings, packing away things we want to keep, and throwing out the garbage. I have purchased some things that I think will come in handy, such as: Colored pencils, paper, and more colored pencils!

I am excited for this adventure as well as a little nervous. I have never been out of the country and definitely not with little children and another on the way. Did I mention that I am pregnant for the fourth time? This is going to be our 3rd boy! We lost a baby earlier this year (2015) but will be happy to welcome our third boy to the family early in 2016. 

What does this mean for the blog? Probably some interesting posts about different areas, people, customs, etc. Some new and I hope lovely area specific artwork. And unfortunately, fewer posts from time to time because of travel and well, life. 

I have one or two tips about moving though. First, do not be afraid to get rid of things! Just look at it and say "I can get a new one" or "I can get something better". This has helped immensely because, in reality, I really can get a new one or one that is better of whatever crap is sitting around my house. Most of my belongings are cheap junk that I don't use very much. Second, get rid of it if you don't use it every month. If you have things sitting around that get used only once or twice a year, chances are you don't really need it to take up space in your storage unit. Of course there are big ticket items that need extra consideration but if it's an easy to replace item then you can do away with it while you are traveling. Especially if it will cost you more to store it than the actual item costs.

Now it's time to get some more packing and listing (for sale) items from around the house. Have a good Sunday!

May Giveaway

April and the first part of May were incredibly busy and quite a bit crazy! A new acquaintance hosted a wrap party that was a huge success! (I was able to sign some new customers in addition to making $300 that evening) My in-laws also visited and that got interesting, they visited for 3.5 weeks! We had a great time going to the beach, the zoo, shopping, doing some in-home construction, and spending plenty of time indoors because it rained nearly every day they were here.

Now that that is over, May is a HUGE growth period for my stay-at-home job. I have signed customers, met tons of great people, and am still helping others to reach for their dreams and goals to have financial freedom, to get healthy, to reduce stretch marks, wrinkles, etc. As a thank you to all my customers and those wonderful people I have had the pleasure to meet I am doing a giveaway!! To have a chance to win one of these items all you have to do is contact me and I'll let you know what to do for there! No purchase necessary, no commitment! I hope to hear from you soon!

You can also contact me on Facebook!

(Sorry, no distributors for It Works can win!)

30 Day Squat Challenge Results

Thirty days seems like a long time but while doing the 30 day squat challenge, I realized that it really isn't a very long time. I got a little off track with it when I went on a small vacation but I stuck with it and got back to where I was supposed to be with the day and proper number of squats. It was not easy for a beginner, but it is doable.

 

My beginning measurements were as follows:

 Thigh - left @ top - 23.5in 

Calf - left @ thickest - 15in

Weight: 152lbs

 And my ending measurements:

thigh - 23in

calf - 14.5in

 Weight: 150lbs

 

I was not expecting a total transformation but I am pleased with what I ended up with. Seeing as it is only 7.5 months since I had my second child and I am 19lbs away from my goal weight, I have to start somewhere! I am happy that I accomplished this challenge and I am looking forward to finishing more challenges and getting into better shape. I am obviously a good deal away from being where I want to be! But, I have just started an arm challenge, I am in the middle of an ab challenge, and I am also starting a butt challenge. I may not be able to see a huge difference in my body as of yet but there are changes! I want to keep this up and track my progress so that I continue with this fitness journey. I see my pictures and I think, "Okay, there is a little change. I want MORE change". This is motivating for me! I can't wait to look smokin' hot in a swimsuit again.

What helped me during this challenge is protein shakes and my vitamins/supplements (Greens, Thermofit New you, It's Vital, and Omega 3). My recovery was fantastic - I only had two days out of 30 that I was sore! And I felt like I had plenty of energy as well. The rough part is actually pushing through to get to that 250 squats, my legs still got tight and shaky trying to do that many in a row.

Note: I am not being paid by any companies or persons. This is not intended as medical advice. This is a personal project that I am sharing the results of.

Pure Romance Product Review

My sister and I hosted an online Pure Romance party for one of my sisters friends a few weeks ago. I had never heard of this brand before, but I am pretty open to trying new things and helping others out!

Katelyn Jensen, is a super nice woman who REALLY knows her stuff when it comes to the Pure Romance products! I asked her opinion on different products and what they were like, comparisons between a few things, and got her suggestions as to what would be best for me based on the info I provided her about my likes and dislikes.

The items that I purchased was the Skin Therapy and Coochy!

My box arrived simple, and plain, no big letters shouting out what I had purchased. So they are a discreet company for those who don't want the world to know what they bought.

Both items smells really good! 

Coochy has a mellow kind of smell, it isn't super to knock you out. It has a smooth silky texture has a pink bubble gum color. It is a shave cream that you apply on wet skin and then let it soak in for a few minutes before shaving (without adding any other shaving cream). It goes on smooth and by the time you are ready to shave your skin feels softer and the hairs feel softer as well (which is why it also doubles as a conditioner). I liked that it made my shave a lot smoother and I did not have to use very much even when used on both legs. I would use this everywhere, armpits and all!

Skin Therapy also has a somewhat light smell, not strong. But not made to smell like roses either (just saying). It is an aftershave mist. It came out in a nice even spray so I didn't have to worry about praying too much, and I am certain it will last quite a while. I definitely experienced fewer bumps, irritation, and ingrown hairs using these two items together! I tend to get a lot of irritation on my legs when I shave more than once a week, so this was really nice to have when I went on a beach vacation for a few days and shaved just about every other day if not every day.

I enjoyed getting to know Katelyn and having her help me select these items!! Here is a little info about this awesome lady:

"I am a full time mom of 3, I love what I do. Pure Romance is not only a company that will help spice up your life and relationship but it provides amazing opportunities to better your life financially and give you opportunities to meet people from all walks of life. I started my own company to become my own boss, work my own hours, have lots of fun and pay my own bills, so far it is the best job I have ever had! Joining my team/family is an opportunity that you will never regret!" 

You can see more items Pure Romance by visiting her page: https://www.pureromance.com/katelynjensen

Note: I I did not receive any commissions or payment of any sort for this post.

90Day It works! challenge and 30Day Squat Challenge

Basically, it's just what the title is!

After some difficult circumstances in my personal life I decided to do some fitness challenges to get things moving in that part of my life. Being a mother of two children under the age of two can do some tough stuff to your body. I have about 20lbs stuck to me that I want gone. I am not as strong as I used to be. I have loose skin. I sag where I never did before. It is the usual occurrences of a mother that I am experiencing! I don't want to be content with it though and only have things digress as time goes by. If you don't do the work you will only fall apart more, right?

So I decided to work on myself for at least the next three months. That is my big goal and short term view. Three months, not so hard, it can be done! It's better than trying to plan out an entire year!!

First item I chose was a squat challenge! And I am sure that many of you have seen this challenge with various pictures of nude bums, buff chicks, etc. I like this particular picture because honestly I know I won't get a huge bum without weights and I know that realistically I will have a nicer bum after doing this challenge but not the most amazing one in the world either. So I like the picture. The numbers on this however, holy cow. 250 at the end of the month!? This is crazy. I did day 1 yesterday so today I am supposed to do 55 squats today and I am a little sore already but not dying yet! I have been trying to keep a good track of progress, we'll see how this goes. I DID take some pictures, how am I going to know if I have a nicer butt at the end of this if I don't document!? :)

My 90 day challenge is with the It works! products. I am taking Greens in powder form twice a day, normally mixed in with orange juice. I am also taking Thermofit to increase calorie burning and metabolic rate. The New You is to help with quicker workout recovery and in building lean muscle mass. I am also doing the Body Wrap once a week which is great, I absolutely LOVE the wraps! They are to help tone, tighten, and firm my belly (which is where I am placing the wraps each week for this challenge).

It's kind of a lot of work, but that is really how a new routine is! I am already having a good time and I feel like I'll be having great results by the time I get to day 15. I took my "before" pictures, measurements, and weight. I even took a picture of my feet on the scale so I wouldn't lose just the number. And I will be transcribing my day to day notes and whatnot. A side goal has been to workout more - so I have done Pilates almost every day this week (Denise Austin on YouTube with BeFIT) and I love it. I usually get a handful of really good back cracks out of a workout. Another goal has been to drink more water and so far this week I am drinking about 3/4 of a gallon, so I am super happy about that. I just need to be sure that I keep it up and continue to drink plenty of water so I can utilize and process all the pills I am taking and recover well from these workouts. 

I'm not ready to share my "before" pictures just yet, I am excited to have some awesome results to put them next to so I can show off how well I do. 

Please email me or comment with any questions!

Note: I am not a fitness trainer or medical professional. These are all things I am doing on my own under supervision of my doctor. I am not telling others what they should be doing.

A New Year! 2015 (Yep, it's Already February!)

Who can honestly say that they have kept up with their new years "resolutions"? 

Me? Not really, but I am determined to not give up entirely! My goals for this year were to reach my goal weight of 130lbs (Yes, I will share those details since I am not super obsessed with people not knowing the weight of a woman). I also want to finish a few quilts that have been halfway done for about a year. Besides that I want to just enjoy life! I think we all get a little obsessed over what we do each day and we forget to enjoy things. 

Now, I do have work goals that I hold separately from my personal goals for the year. I don't want to feel like a failure if I don't happen to reach them is all. I want to help others! I want to help them to find whatever it is they are looking for to reach a certain weight, clear skin, calm life, to make money, whatever it may be if I can!

What is coming up for this years blog posts are reviews, how-to's, maybe some videos, and of course lots of pictures on various topics. I have just purchased a couple items from a new friend that sells Pure Romance items, and I am super excited. I'll be posting a review here, there are items that I have never heard about or not seen made a certain way before and I want to share that with you! I am especially excited to use their shave cream that is intended to reduce irritation and ingrown hairs.

It Works! Wrap Test

So a few months ago I started a new job that I could do from home (and just about everywhere else). I loved the products and I figured if I could share it with others that loved it just as much or more than me that would really great!

But there were a few products that I was a little skeptical about!

Can you blame me? Put a wrap that has a gel on it on your body (anywhere) and in as little as 45min you would have tighter, toner, and smoother skin?? Well, I tried it. I did the 4 wraps for a full treatment and I was amazed! I am am 4 months postpartum from my second child and my body is used and abused lol. But in just under 2 weeks my belly is smaller! My shirts look better on me, my jeans fit a little nicer, it is fantastic! I am starting to work-out more at home with a pull-up bar, treadmill, and bike riding but I know that when I lose more weight I am going to wrap again and firm up all that loose skin!!

I love this job because it is helping me to reach my goals, and I have the chance to help others as well. These wraps feel good when using them and they continue to work afterwards. I did the wraps about 2 months ago and my results have stayed. I want to continue this process of wrapping, eating healthy, and exercising regularly so that I can be one of those hot mamas and not a frumpy mom!

#SayNoToTheFrump

Cupcake CoverTops by Lily Rubio

 I recently hosted a party for a new friend of mine Lily Rubio to showcase her cute and fabulous covertops that will make any LDS girl drool and have plenty of other women in the world wanting a collection for those outfits they wish covered a little more skin.

Here are some of those pretty ladies who could make it that evening - minus me (who took the picture) and my pant-less toddler who joined us that evening.

I thought I would share these with you since I have not come across anything like this with such great quality before  and they really are just great.

I love mine! Especially being pregnant I feel like I already have quite enough sitting on my belly and these are fantastic because they end right under the bust! So many shirts and dresses are low cut or just leave me feeling a little too revealed and these are great to give me coverage without bulk.

Lily had this great idea floating around for a while before acting on it and once she decided to make it happen things got moving with time. Now there is more than just the half-cami, there are cap sleeved and 3/4 sleeved covers in a small range of convenient colors.

They are available for purchase from her personally if you happen to live in the South Florida area, otherwise you may purchase them through her website cupcakecovertops.com

You can also follow Lily on Facebook for updates, watch some cute videos of Lily's on Youtube, or follow her on Instagram.

All images in this post are taken from the Instagram of Lily Rubio as well as the cupcakecovertops website.

Blog Revamp

As I am sure anyone who has been here before over the years you may have noticed that the image of this blog has changed drastically. In order to better serve my readers I have changed to a more bright and appealing layout and have also added social media share buttons to the bottom of each post! I used this page to do so if anyone else is wondering how to do it. I am not the most teach savvy person around so it took me a few tries and about 1hr to get this right. Who knew I would have so much trouble!? 

So I hope that you like the new and improved blog! 

Some other improvements I plan on making are:

Updating a little more frequently

sharing more artwork with specific themes

Etsy seller spotlights

My own photography

In relation to my own photography, I started this blog right out of high school pretty much. I did not fully comprehend the importance of citing my sources for photos and other things. After growing up a bit and learning more about the business world I have learned that it is VERY important to cite my sources and to get away from borrowing peoples photos for my artwork as well. 

I love working from a photo since I can work on it for months at a time if need be, but I know I need to start doing work that is completely my own. So I am going to take a big step and begin doing this consistently. 

Part of doing this is to do artwork with themes so I can do work that only I have taken photos of. I plan on drawing more cars - starting with a '99 Cobra Mustang. I also plan on drawing more fruits and vegetables - still life's! 

Wish me luck, and thank you for being a part of this blogs and my own personal growth over the years. And welcome to any newcomers, I am always improving.

Kiwi Drawing - Process

It has been nearly a year since I have done a drawing and probably about that long or longer since I have done an art blog update. It has been interesting and fun getting used to being a mom and fitting in the things that I like to do in my small amount of free time. I do go on walks and visit parks a bit more now but that quiet time I need for art is a little few and far between those moments. 

So I have had this drawing about 75% of the way finished for more than 6 months! I also have about 2 others that are the same way. I just didn't feel like drawing for a little while as well. Anyways, I decided to take pictures during the process as well. 

 I usually do a light sketch to work with. And I almost always use a photo to work from since I tend to take FOREVER to finish a drawing. It can be nearly impossible to do a still life for me.

 I also skip around with where I am working on it at the time.

 Half of the drawing is sometimes much more close to being finished than the other and sometimes the whole thing is moving along nicely in a cohesive project.

 And then comes the final product that I still sometimes do a touch up on white space that you can see in this one has some smudges.

I get photos to work from primarily from Deviantart stock, and HERE is the exact stock I used for this one.

I also post my work to my Facebook fan page.

And lastly I do sell my artwork on an Etsy page that I have for a few years now.